


Half-Elf, Full of Problems

by BlueStarOfTheSouth



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Amaya is a good Aunt, Amaya misses her sister, Body Dysphoria, Callum has "Step Child" related issues, Don’t copy to another site, Half-Elf Callum (The Dragon Prince), Harrow is a good Dad, Minor Implications of Rape, She kicks in doors and threatens kings for her family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27502480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueStarOfTheSouth/pseuds/BlueStarOfTheSouth
Summary: Callum wants to be normal, wants to spend the rest of his life being perfectly normal.Not easy when he considers himself a freak.
Relationships: Amaya & Callum (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Harrow (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 55
Kudos: 158
Collections: Not Just Human





	1. Half-Blooded Freak

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Barely writes my ongoings for weeks at a time.
> 
> Also me: Writes a big one shot in a day and a half.
> 
> But yeah, this is my contribution to this fandom. Hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> Discord Link for anyone that wants to stop by and chat: https://discord.gg/FCVcfCv

The royal family of Katolis owned a number of cabins, retreats, and secret hideaways across their country.

Callum, “Step-Prince” of the kingdom, was at none of them. Instead he and his aunt Amaya were out in the forest somewhere, ages from the nearest town. It was a tradition, one that had started before his mom had married King Harrow.

Callum loved and hated it in equal measures.

He loved spending time away from the titles of the castle or the army. He loved living off the land, working hard to find food and make shelter. He loved being able to simply talk to his aunt without fear of being interrupted. He loved spear fishing, running through the forest, as the two journeyed across the wilds.

He hated that Amaya enforced a single rule. Her rule was theoretically simple, and he knew that she did it for his benefit, but he hated it nonetheless.

 _“No hiding Callum,”_ She’d say, _“Not even from yourself.”_

And so he was forced to, in her words, stop hiding from himself.

 _“Stop griping.”_ He spotted her sign over the campfire that night. He’d been nearly as silent as her so far, but that was nothing new, he was always quiet when these trips first started.

“Why do you make me do this?” He asked, subconsciously making sure she could see his lips clearly. A lifetime living around a deaf person caused one to develop a few habits like that, as well as a near instinctive talent at translating signs.

 _“Because I care about you.”_ Well, that explained nothing.

“Then why not respect my decisions?” He demanded, his anger flaring up for a moment.

 _“I do respect your decisions. Anywhere else I would not ask this of you, but for as long as you keep agreeing to come on these trips you will respect mine.”_ She looked him dead in the eye, perfectly serious.

And she had a point. He could have said no, could have told King Harrow that he didn’t want to go on this trip.

But his aunt was just about the only family he really had left, and he couldn’t say no to the first trip since…

Well, he couldn’t say no.

“Fine. Can I… can I do it tomorrow though?” It wouldn’t be easier tomorrow, but at least he could put it off for a bit longer.

 _“Fine. But you are not having breakfast before it’s done.”_ And Callum knew that she’d hold him to that.

* * *

Amaya sighed as her nephew crawled into the tent.

 _“Oh Sarai, what do I do?”_ She asked, looking up at the stars as if they would answer her.

They didn’t.

Her sister hadn’t even been dead a year yet, and she already felt so lost. Sarai had been her rock, her hero, and Amaya felt lost without her.

When the news had come she’d not been allowed to mourn, not at first. Her nephews, Sarai’s sons, had needed her to be strong. And so, she had. For three days she’d kept the wave at bay, knowing she’d be swallowed whole by it when she did finally allow it to overcome her.

She’d been right. As soon as she’d been able she’d grieved, she sobbed, and raged, and swore, and very nearly did a number of things she regretted. But something stopped her hand and pulled her from the dark pit that she had nearly succumbed to.

A memory.

Years before her death, not long after her marriage to King Harrow, Sarai had written two letters, and entrusted them into Amaya’s care.

“Just in case.” She’d said at the time. And Amaya had been under no illusions as to what they were: her final words. The memory of the notes stopped Amaya, and she’d raced to find them.

They’d been exactly where they’d been since that day: hidden away in a secret chamber within a secret tunnel within the castle. They were both intact, both looking just how she’d remembered them.

One letter was to Callum, to be given when Amaya thought he was ready. The other was to Amaya herself.

There was much in that letter, much that caused the hardened soldier to nearly weep again, but two lines had stood out amongst all others.

_“Do not trust Viren. Should he ever learn The Truth he will kill Callum.”_

_“Save him. Save him in all the ways I never could.”_

And thus, months later, Amaya asked her nephew to accompany her on their regular camping trip. It was hard, but Amaya was ready to do what she could to save her nephew, from both Viren and himself.

She knew he’d be difficult, would fight her every step of the way, but she was determined.

She would save Callum.

For Sarai.

* * *

“I hate this.” Callum muttered the next day, glaring at his aunt. “I hope you know that.”

 _“Get to it, your breakfast is getting cold.”_ Amaya signed, not looking particularly impressed.

And so, with a great showing of effort, Callum readjusted his hair, letting his ears be seen clearly, much to the obvious approval of Amaya.

Callum hated them. Hated how they were just a bit too pointed to be normal, hated how they were a sign that he was a freak, hated how he could never truly hide them.

“Are you happy now?” He demanded, more than a little upset. He hated that Amaya made him show this, refused to let him hide this part of himself away. He was perfectly happy pretending to be normal, so why didn’t she just _let him_?

 _“All of it.”_ She commanded, holding out a hand with her palm facing up, as if expecting something to be placed on it.

“...Fine.” He said, unclipping his earring from his right ear, where it was normally hidden by his hair, and passing it over. Where his mother had gotten it he didn’t know, but the magical trinket hid his more… obvious features.

It was hard to decide what part of this he hated the most. The small horns that seemed to pull themselves out of space on his forehead, the strange discoloration of his skin that appeared across his body, or how _right_ it felt not to be hiding.

It felt wrong to feel so right.

After breakfast Amaya produced a pair of training swords, and Callum proved to be… not totally useless. He’d hesitate to say he was _good_ , but he was certainly a few steps up from his normal showings.

 _“Maybe not a sword.”_ Amaya commented later, a calculating look in her eyes.

“Yeah, maybe not.” Callum muttered, panting from the brief exercise.

_“Knives maybe? Moonshadow Elves use-”_

“No!” He bit, his cry cutting over her signs. “I will never touch an elven weapon.”

 _“Never say never,”_ Amaya warned, a seriousness in her movements that would be evident in tone for anyone else, _“If it meant saving Ezran’s life, would you hesitate?”_

“Of course not!” He cried, appalled at the mere thought. He might hate elves, might hate everything about the monsters, but if it meant saving Ez he’d do whatever it took.

His brother was one of the few things he had left, for however long he had left until King Harrow got bored of him, but Callum knew he would die for Ez.

 _“Then we have to find a weapon for you.”_ His aunt declared, as if her word alone was enough to make it fact.

It was, and Callum knew it.

“What’s it matter? I can barely _hold_ a sword when wearing my earring.” His body just felt… wrong. His limbs too long, but too short at the same time. He couldn’t move quite right, like his weight was in all the wrong places. Sometimes it felt like someone was pushing down on his chest, making it hard to breath, and some days he felt like just looking at himself would cause him to throw up.

But without his earring he felt right, like some missing piece had finally been found. He hated that feeling, because he didn’t want to be like this, he wanted to wear his earring and just be _normal_.

 _“Life is unpredictable.”_ Was all Amaya said.

* * *

A week later and Callum was putting his earring back in place, sighing as he felt the magic ripple across his body and hid everything away.

It was over. He’d suffered through a week without it, and now he could put it back on and not take it off again until next year, when he would be invited on another trip.

 _“I think we should invite Ezran along next time.”_ Amaya suggested as they ate their last meal before he went back to the castle.

“If you invite Ez, I’m not coming.” Because his aunt would insist he remove his earring, and he refused to let his brother see him like that. “Besides, I’ll probably be gone by next year anyway.”

 _“Why do you say that?”_ She asked, apparently ignoring his first statement.

“Mom’s dead, so it’s only a matter of time before King Harrow gets bored of me and starts focusing on his real kid. If I’m lucky he’ll find some nice lord or lady to raise me. But then, I’m not _really_ family, so maybe he’ll just toss me out onto the street, let me be a beggar.” Callum rambled, the fears that had been born the night his mother died finally being given a voice. “Or hell, he knows that I’m a freak, maybe he’ll just decide to toss me to my “elf brethren”! Who knows what _they’d_ do to a freak like me!”

 _“He won’t send you away. I promise.”_ Amaya signed.

“Oh, and how can you promise that?”

_“I won’t let him.”_

* * *

There were few people that could angrily march through the halls of the royal castle, glare at everyone in sight, and then kick in the doors to King Harrow’s private quarters without the guards so much as twitching.

Sometimes it paid to be the King’s sister-in-law.

She wasted no time in taking stock of the sleeping form of her king, who was far too used to her kicking in his door to wake because of it. Seeing as how she needed him awake she decided to act, tossing something from the dresser at him after making sure it wasn’t important. It was that ugly glass vase that Queen Neha of Duren had given him for his birthday three years ago, so she felt no shame in chucking it at him.

“Wh-wha?!” The great King of Katolis spluttered, flailing madly for a moment at the abrupt awakening. “Oh, Amaya. Can we do this later, I was up late last night.”

_“No. We’re doing this now or I’m throwing you over the balcony.”_

“You know, most people would consider that treason.” The sleepy monarch pointed out, untangling himself from his sheets and rising to his feet.

 _“Like the guards would stop me.”_ Amaya pointed out. Harrow pauses for a moment, considering her, before simply nodding at her assessment.

“What did I even do this time?” Hallow asked, clearly deciding to just get to the point.

 _“Let’s talk about Callum.”_ She began.

The king straightened, sleep-ridden features melting away in favour of a sober expression. Amaya had his attention.

* * *

Callum wasn’t sent away. Quite the opposite in fact.

“Callum, can we talk?” King Harrow asked, standing in Callum’s door. Callum paused for a moment, but he didn’t exactly have a choice, did he?

“Yes sir.” He allowed, standing from his desk to face his King.

“Come, sit.” He was told, King Harrow moving to sit on Callum’s bed. After a moment’s hesitation he followed, taking his place at his King’s side.

“Callum, I want you to know that I’m not going to send you away.” He was bluntly informed. “You are staying right here, for as long as you want to stay.”

“I… I understand sir.” Callum replied, confused at what he was being told.

“No, I don’t think you do. So let me make this perfectly clear.” King Harrow began. “You are my son, and as such your place is here, with me and Ezran. I am not sending you to live in the country so that you can’t embarrass me, I’m not throwing you out onto the streets to be a beggar, and I’m certainly not giving you to the elves. You are going to stay here, with your family, for as long as you want to stay.”

The words caused Callum to stop, to think. It was clear that his aunt had spoken to the king, had done as she had promised and ensured that he wouldn’t be sent away. He was torn, briefly, between joy that his fears were apparently unfounded and anger that she’d told King Harrow of his fears.

In the end joy won out, and Callum nearly collapsed as he felt like a great weight had been taken from him.

“T-thank you.”

* * *

That wasn’t the end of it, not for Harrow.

Because he’d learned far more about the situation than Callum’s fears, and he would now have to address the _other_ major concern.

Some of it was easy. The lesser offenders would find themselves reassigned to locations away from the castle, where they would have no chance to interact with Callum. Then there were those that required his… personal attention.

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear.” He began, glaring down from his throne. His clothes were immaculate, his crown perfectly placed, his Threatening Sword sharp. He appeared, to be blunt, about as terrifying as a king could be.

“If I ever learn that you have insulted my son in such a manner again, I will throw you to General Amaya and let her have her way with you. If there's anything left of you after that, I will then see to your fates _personally_. Am I understood!”

He was understood.

* * *

As time went on things became… easier, at least a little.

Amaya held true to her thought, and invited Ezran the next year for the camping trip. Callum stayed true to his declaration, and let his brother go alone.

“And remember: you can tell Aunt Amaya _anything_ , she’s great at keeping secrets.” He had told Ezran before they set out, giving his aunt a look as he spoke. She’d not reacted, but Ezran had shown no signs of knowing what Callum really was, so he decided that she’d gotten the message.

That had been the first year since the camping trips had started that he’d not gone, and he had honestly found himself quite confused as to what to _do_ with himself. He’d milled about a fair bit, but eventually decided to spend his time in the royal library, reading whatever topic caught his eye.

It was possibly the most boring week of his life.

When Amaya suggested that the two go on a camping trip two months later, just the two of them, he leapt at the chance. Despite how much he hated handing over his earring to Amaya, he did love their time together.

As the years went on he never quite grew into himself. His body always felt awkward, ill fitting, like it wasn’t sitting right on his bones. He suffered in combat practice because of it, proving that he was right when he said he could barely hold a sword while wearing his earring, but Harrow never seemed to much care.

“I was even worse than you were when I was growing up.” His dad told him one day. “Don’t worry about it too much. One day you’ll find _your_ way to fight, and it’ll all make sense.”

And then one day it all came to a head, in the worst way possible.

It was entirely possible that Callum, who held no particular aptitude for combat, would never end up in a scenario that would put him in a position to allow him to meet an elf. He could have become a scholar, he could have helped manage the royal treasury, he could have helped plan civilian affairs.

He was a smart boy, there were any number of things that he could have done with his life that held zero chance of meeting an elf.

But fate was a cruel thing.

“I am Prince Ezran.” He lied, planting his feet. He would die for his brother, had known that would be willing to do so for years now. To die by the hands of an elvish assassin was far from the way Callum had wanted to die, but there was little he could do about it. If his life was the price he had to pay, then so be it.

He glared at the elf as she tried to make it sound like she’d show him mercy, that it’d be quick and painless.

He didn’t believe her for a second. What did elves know of mercy? Nothing. He was living proof of that.

But that wasn’t the end of it, and Ezran led them to a secret chamber with an egg, the Dragon Prince the elf named it.

And then they were running from ghostly wolves, and planning their escape, and _apparently they’re going to Xadia now?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It ends rather abruptly, I know. Sorry about that. I couldn't work out how to end it, so it just kind of... stops.
> 
> Anyway, yeah, this happened.
> 
> So, to get it out of the way: Yes, Callum does imply at the end that he thinks he's the product of rape. I'm not sure if I should tag specifically for it, as it's literally one line and it's kept kind of vague, but let me know and I will. Is he? Not sure, didn't really decide.
> 
> What sort of Elf is Callum's father? Not a clue!
> 
> Will I continue this? Maybe... I'm genuinely not sure. I like what I've done now, and I don't know if I'd want to risk continuing.
> 
> Anyway, questions, critiques, etc are all welcome in the comment section.


	2. The Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum is going to Xadia (apparently), but he's got to travel with a murderous, bloodthirsty, beast that's a monster twice over.
> 
> Rayla thinks that description of her is a bit much (and a little hurtful to be honest).
> 
> Ezran just wishes that his brother would stop lying to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Hi? Back by amazingly popular demand: Half-Elf, Full of Problems.
> 
> Yeah, didn't... didn't expect to pick this one up again. I mean, I said I would if people were interested, but I thought that would be like, one or two people, not half my comment section.
> 
> To be clear: this story is marked as complete: but I may continue it if people show more interest. I make no promises, I was kind of surprised to find myself posting this chapter to be honest, but I'm open to the idea.
> 
> I've a Discord, check it out if you want to chat, give suggestions, or just receive notifications of when I post stuff: https://discord.gg/FCVcfCv

Callum was in what could best be described as a foul mood.

He’d been up for hours, he’d been attacked by someone he genuinely considered a friend, and now he was trudging through the woods with a damn  _ elf _ .

But he had some hope, because he’d managed to convince Ez into agreeing with him about going to the Banther Lodge. Not only did he want to grab some stuff that he knew was there, not only was it a good place to take stock of the situation, but that was where his father had wanted him and Ez to go anyway.

And his dad would never, ever,  _ ever _ let Ez and Callum be alone when he knew there was Moonshadow Elves haunting the woods. Which meant that there was going to be a guard waiting for them.

Now, the list of who was qualified to watch after the princes was a lot shorter than most realized. Ez didn’t like a fair number of the people that had been assigned to it in the past, Callum didn’t like most of the others, and few were willing to do it a second time without being ordered.

Which meant that there was a very short list of people that could be waiting for them at the Banther Lodge.

It was even shorter when you accounted for the elves, which was a unique sort of challenge that many were not suited to handling.

By Callum’s reckoning there were less than five candidates for the job. And one name would always be at the top of that list: Aunt Amaya. Well, technically it was  _ General _ Amaya, but it worked out the same to Callum.

So, Callum figured he had pretty solid odds of running into his aunt if they went there. Not that Ez knew that was his plan, and he highly doubted the elf knew enough about his family and the general state of affairs to be able to predict that.

He needed help, desperately, and Amaya was one of the people he trusted the most.

One in five, with the odds stacked in his favor? He liked those chances.

* * *

Ezran frowned as he looked at his brother.

It was not a secret to Ezran that Callum hated elves, although he wasn’t sure  _ why _ . He’d asked before, but Callum had just waved him off with an explanation of “They’re monsters Ez, what’s not to hate”, and that had been that.

To a degree Ezran hated that his brother didn’t tell him the truth, but he couldn’t exactly say anything about it. There were a lot of things that Ezran didn’t tell people after all. He didn’t tell people that he could understand animals nearly as well as he could understand people, better even in some cases. He didn’t tell people that he was scared of what it would mean when he became king.

He didn’t tell people that he could hear their lies.

And Callum had been lying for as long as he’d been in Ezran’s life. It clung to him, a nearly visible falsehood that wrapped around Callum like a second skin. It was… brighter? Stronger? Ezran wasn’t sure what the right word was, but there was something about Callum’s right ear that was important to his lie.

He should hate Callum, who wore his lie like a favorite pair of socks, but… Callum nearly never lied about anything else. Ezran knew that his brother loved him, he could  _ hear _ the truth whenever Callum said it. He knew that Callum truly thought of him as family, had heard that truth as well.

There was just one really big lie that Callum had wrapped around himself like armour. A lie that he told to everyone, one that clung to his bones.

It had taken years before Ezran noticed possibly the saddest thing about the Great Lie, as he’d come to call it.

Callum lied to no one more than himself.

Whatever the Great Lie was, Callum lied to himself about it even more than he lied to others about it.

As soon he’d realized that fact, Ezran had sworn to be there for his brother, no matter what. Because he clearly needed it, if he felt that he had to lie himself about something so big and obviously terrible.

“What is his  _ problem?!” _ Rayla, the Moonshadow Elf that had tried to kill him, griped at one point, pulling Ezran out of his thoughts.

“Hmm?”

“Your brother.” She said, as if that explained everything.

And it kind of did.

“Don’t take it personally,” He reassured her, “Callum hates all elves.”

“I know you humans aren’t exactly our biggest fans, but this feels a little… personal.” She seemed genuinely upset at that, like Callum’s hatred of elves was a personal attack against her.

“It’s not. You’re just here, so he’s taking it out on you. He’ll calm down.” Hopefully.

Probably not actually, his brother could hold a pretty solid grudge when he wanted.

* * *

The first thing Callum did when they arrived at the Banther Lodge was go up to the small study that was upstairs. Once there he found a stack of paper and penned a letter.

There were a number of things that, as princes of the kingdom, the brothers were expected to have on them at any given time. The most relevant to this situation was their signet rings, which held the crest of Katolis. A bit of fire, a touch of wax, and they would allow Callum to make an official decree.

He did just that, and then placed both his missive and the ring on the desk in the study. He’d need them both later, but for now they could rest here while he waited for Amaya, if he was right in his assumptions, to arrive.

He was soon rewarded for his patience when the elf told him that a patrol of humans were approaching.

“I’ll handle it.” He promised, moving to the door. “Just go hide, somewhere that isn’t the upstairs study. If I need to bring anyone inside, that’s where I’ll take them.”

He couldn’t help but grin when he saw that he was right, and that his aunt was leading the squad.

“General Amaya.” He greeted.

* * *

General.

Not Aunt.

Something was wrong.

Amaya held up a hand to signal that her troops halt, before signing to let Gren know that she would be talking to her nephew in private. He nodded, and quickly moved to review the soldiers, so that they were ready for whatever might happen next. If this turned into a fight, they’d be ready, if they had to race off halfway across the country to rescue a kidnapped Ezran, they’d be ready for that too.

_ “Prince Callum.” _ She returned his greeting, wondering what it was that warranted her nephew to use her rank.

“If you come inside I’ll brief you. There are… complications which you are not aware of.” Official speak, not for her benefit. The soldiers? Someone inside?

_ “Is anyone injured?” _ If this was a show, and it seemed to be, it would be best to play along. That her question was a legitimate concern was just a benefit.

“Nothing major.” He promised, nodding at her once before turning back to the door. She followed him quickly, and kept her wits about her once inside.

Callum’s shoulders were tense, his steps stiff. He was worried, fearful for something that was inside the lodge. An enemy?

He led her to the study, signaling for her to close the door behind him.

_ “There is a Moonshadow assassin in the cabin.”  _ He signed, looking her dead in the eye.

Amaya froze at the thought, and the one that immediately followed: Callum wouldn’t be here if Ezran wasn’t.

Ezran, sweet, defenseless Ezran, was in the same building as a Moonshadow assassin.

It took all her effort not to storm out of the room to protect her family, only the fact that Callum appeared to have a plan staying her hand.

_ “What do you need me to do?” _ She asked, wondering what Callum had come up with. He’d always been clever, as evident by the times that she’d tested him on military strategy, so she was confident that he had something in mind.

_ “She came here with us. We escaped Viren and Claudia, who were trying to stop us.” _ The thought of Viren being anywhere near Callum made the blood in Amaya’s body nearly freeze, but he was clearly in good health, so she tried to relax as much as she could given the situation.

_ “Why was Claudia trying to stop you?” _ She thought that they were friends. She knew that Callum was friends with Soren at least, which was a good thing. After Harrow had put the Fear of Amaya into the boy he’d become a steadfast friend for both the princes. He may not be the brightest boy, even if he was a damn sight smarter than his family seemed to think he was, but he had a good heart.

_ “Viren stole King Thunder’s child, the egg of the dragon prince.”  _ Once more Amaya’s blood froze, but when it thawed this time it was with burning rage.

That… bastard.

She knew when he had to have done it, there was only one time that he  _ could have _ done it, and it perfectly coincided with the sudden spike in activity at the border. She’d lost good men when the elves had redoubled, retripled even, their activity.

And it was all because of Viren.

_ “Yeah, that was my reaction.”  _ She saw Callum sign, clearly knowing what she was thinking.  _ “In fact, I wrote it all down.” _

Here he passed her a rolled up piece of parchment, one that was sealed with the royal crest.

_ “This is an official decree, made by a prince of Katolis. I hereby declare Viren a traitor to the kingdom and to the crown. I order that he is to be arrested immediately and remanded to the dungeons until such a time as a trial can be conducted.” _ There was a dark look in Callum’s eyes, one that Amaya knew she should be working to remove.

But at the same time he was handing her the perfect way to remove Viren forever. The perfect way to eliminate the threat that Sarai had foreseen.

_ “And the assassin?” _ Amaya wondered.

_ “She wants to return the egg to Xadia, to try and form a real peace.” _ And if the princes of Katolis returned the dragon prince, then they may just be able to barter for it.

_ “Send your best tracker after us, someone that you can trust with… sensitive matters.” _ Someone that wouldn’t try to kill Callum if his half-elf status should come to light.  _ “And then send someone trustworthy, someone above reproach, from home as soon as you are able.” _

_ “Why?” _ Why do it that way, why not just send two people now?

_ “One person to remain unseen, unknown to the elf. The other to conveniently join up with us on the road.” _ Reinforcements, both playing different parts. Clever.

_ “Are you sure she won’t kill you or Ezran?” _ Amaya pressed, clear worry on her face.

_ “No. But I am sure that she wants us alive more than she wants to kill us. How long that will last I don’t know, but for now it works in our favor.” _ He was right of course, from what she understood the elf needed them alive to deliver the egg. Killing them would be counterproductive towards that goal.

_ “And how are you getting into Xadia?” _ Because there were precious few ways into the magical country, and Amaya knew for a fact that all known ways were guarded by both sides.

_ “Where there’s a way in, there’s a way out.” _ Fair enough.  _ “And we’ll meet up at the border so that she can deliver us past it.” _

“ _ You’re taking Ezran into Xadia?” _ She doubted it, Callum loved that boy more than he loved anything, but she had to check.

_ “Of course not! If I can manage it, he’ll go home with you. If not, then I’ll think of something for when we meet up later.” _ All in a terrible plan that relied far too much on the assassin not murdering them in their sleep.

But, if the goal was to deliver the egg back to Xadia, it was perhaps the best plan.

_ “Where are we meeting?” _

* * *

He didn’t manage to get Ez to go with Amaya, and that complicated his plans a bit. But he’d adapt, he hadn’t really expected Ez to go along with it anyway.

So now he had to take himself, his brother, and a possibly murderous elf on a cross country trip to the border.

Joy.

As he watched Amaya lead her soldiers back to his home he turned his attention to the biggest issue, the one that he’d been ignoring since he’d met the elf.

His earring.

How long before she noticed it? How long before she figured out what it was? Was he willingly walking into a situation that may result in Ez finding out that he was a freak?

He didn’t know, and that uncertainty scared him.

“So, what now?” The elf demanded when the troops were out of sight. Callum swallowed a sigh at her impatience, already hating that he had to put up with her.

“We’ll make our way to the border, there’s a town there that we can resupply at before moving into Xadia.” He told her, moving inside to grab his things. He was in no rush to go anywhere with her, quite the opposite really, but packing his things was at least better than talking to her.

“Before we leave, I think we need to have a talk.” She told him, and Callum couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her, because  _ really?! _

“About what?” He demanded, grabbing his bag and starting to pack. He didn’t have much, mostly a few changes of clothes, so this wouldn’t take him too long.

“This attitude of yours. I’m not exactly looking forward to trekking through the wilds with someone that’s being so… grumpy.” Already he was half done, the Banther Lodge was not exactly the best place to prepare oneself for a journey like this.

“Listen, I’m “grumpy”, as you say, because I have to walk all the way to the border with only my brother and a monster for company, so forgive me if I am not in the best of moods about it.” He told her, pushing the rest of his stuff into his bag. It wasn’t packed properly, Amaya would have had his head if she saw the state of it, but he was upset.

“Monster?!” She demanded, sounding honestly offended. Callum barked a laugh at the sound, because she had the gall to be offended when he just called her what she was?

“Yes, monster. You’re an elf, you’re all heartless monsters. And you’re an assassin, so you’re even worse.”

“We’re not  all monsters.”

“Really? Tell that to my mother.” He said, pulling his bag over his shoulder and shoving past her. He couldn’t wait until they were on the road. Anything was better than this conversation.

* * *

“What happened to your mother.” Rayla asked the younger prince, wondering about what had caused the older boy to be so bitter towards her kind.

“I… I don’t know.” Ezran admitted. Rayla had found that at least  _ this _ prince was nice, and that she could actually talk to him.

“What do you mean?”

“Mom used to work at the border, helping protect it from invading elves.” Ezran slowly explained, staring ahead as he spoke. “There was a big fight, and mom ended up stranded in Xadia.”

“...what happened?” Rayla asked, a bad feeling settling in her gut.

“I don’t know.” Ezran repeated, sounding frustrated. “No one’s ever told me, but I’m not stupid. I think… I think Callum’s dad is an elf.”

And there it was, the ugly truth that Rayla had already started fearing.

It wasn’t talked about often, wasn’t talked about at all if it could be helped, but every now and then a half-human turned up in Xadia. They were... not treated kindly, to say the least.

She imagined it was much the same in the human kingdoms.

There was no evidence of course, and the grudging alliance that the older prince had with her meant that she couldn’t exactly  _ ask _ if he was a half-human. And even Ezran said he wasn’t sure, that no one had ever told him the full story, so maybe he was wrong.

But if he was, if Callum wasn’t entirely human, then it meant two things.

One: his mother’s relationship with his father had at the very least  _ ended _ poorly, and that was the best case scenario, if she had returned to her home and married the king instead of eloping to some distant corner of Xadia to live with her elven lover.

And two, and of far more immediate concern: she couldn’t tell anyone, ever. It was one thing for the son of the king to return the Dragon Prince’s stolen egg, it was one thing for the child of a border guard to undertake this journey, it was one thing for someone that hadn’t even reached their maturity yet to perform this task.

But if anyone discovered that he was half-blood? There’d be hell to pay. For  _ all _ of them. And she needed Callum in one piece in order to beg the queen for forgiveness, something that was far less likely if they got into Xadia and someone discovered he was a half-human.

Assuming that he was at least, she didn’t actually know for sure.

* * *

Amaya was having the  _ best time! _

She’d ascended to be Regent shortly after arriving, and had quickly moved to do what she could to assist her nephews on their quest.

Viren had been thrown in jail, arrested on charges of high treason, as declared by Prince Callum.

Claudia had been restricted to her quarters for the immediate future, and Soren was brought to King Harrow’s chambers, now empty, and Amaya gave him a very serious talk on the balcony.

After that she’d sent guards she could trust into the passageways that Callum had told her of. They’d found Viren’s lab quickly enough, and Amaya had  _ gleefully _ added new charges based on the discoveries.

Dark Magic was not illegal, not yet at least, but the evidence that Viren had stolen the egg of the Dragon Prince? She’d managed to twist that into another few charges that, in essence, amounted to “being so monumentally stupid that you put the entirety of the human kingdoms in danger of retaliation by elven armies and dragon fire”.

She’d dressed it up a bit, made it sound all good and proper for the official records, but that was the gist of it all.

Because seriously, stealing the Dragon Prince’s egg? They were lucky that a hundred dragons hadn’t poured over the border within days, with an army of elves at their backs, in order to retrieve it and take vengeance upon humanity as a whole.

And then they’d found the coins, and the elf in the dungeons, and they’d added a few more charges for general awfulness for good measure.

So, with all that said and done, Regent Amaya sent for Soren once more, in order to finish the conversation they’d had on Harrow’s balcony.

* * *

_“Soren, I have a request for you.”_

Soren was proud of his job, he’d worked hard to get it. He was the youngest member of the Crownguard in history, and he had damn well earned that achievement. Not that his father had ever cared.

_ “There are Moonshadow Elves coming to kill me.” _

Soren had done his best to protect his king, and had been prepared to die in the line of duty if it had been required of him.

And then King Harrow had called him into his chambers.

_ “If I should die tonight, and you should live, I have a request.” _

He’d made an oath when he’d joined the Crownguard, a sacred promise that he was expected to obey until he was either released from service, or until his dying breath.

_ “Not an order from a king, but a request from a father.” _

So as he knelt before the throne, as he had done countless times before, he prepared himself for what was to come. He had sworn an oath that day, had knelt before King Harrow and had sworn that he would fulfil his duty to the best of his abilities, and he was ready to see his oath fulfilled.

_ “Protect my sons, keep them safe.” _

“Regent Amaya, I am ready to undertake this task.”

* * *

Callum sat, watching the night sky as he kept watch over the group that night.

He wished that this trip had been so different.

He wished that the elf wasn’t an assassin. He also wished that she wasn’t there at all to be honest, but they needed her for this to work out.

He wished that Ezran was back home, safe and sound in the castle, watched over by the best guards in the kingdom.

He wished that Amaya was there, she’d know what to do.

He wished that his dad was there, helping them along with kind words of motivation.

He wished that his mom was there.

That last one wasn’t new of course. He wished his mom was there a lot, because her  _ not _ being there was painful at times, and there was so much that he wanted to hear her tell him. She could have told him that it would all work out in the end. She could have told him that he was doing a good job, protecting Ezran like he was. She could have told him that he had done the right thing when he ordered Viren be arrested.

She could have told him he was wrong about how he’d been born.

He knew the story of course, knew that his father was an elf. But his mom hadn’t liked to talk about it, he didn’t even know what  _ kind _ of elf the man was, so he knew little else about it. But he had his suspicions, and some part of him was scared that he’d discover the truth on this journey.

If there was any way to meet his father, then walking directly into Xadia was it.

As he watched the sky, feeling oddly at peace like he never could during the day, he reached up to toy with his earring.

The elf was giving him strange looks, had been since they’d left the Banther Lodge. Did she know? If she did, had she told Ezran? Or was she waiting for a chance to blackmail him? To turn on him? To try and turn Ezran against him?

He didn’t know, and even after he had traded places with the elf and crawled into his sleeping bag, he found himself staying awake, worried about what the future would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again: ending here, but may be more. We'll see how things go.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this, and I am sorry for the delay. Rayla's first section was being difficult.
> 
> And no, I am not elaborating on whether or not Callum's right. If I ever continue this I'll consider giving a real answer, but it wouldn't come until they're in Xadia, so that's be a while off anyway.


End file.
